The Power of Three
by Nephredil
Summary: Sirius Black suddenly finds himself going from being a Bachelor to a father of four children under the age of three! His godson, Harry Potter, and the triplets of his thought-to-be-dead sister. Who is the father of Hermione, Alexas, and Leo? How will they keep them safe? How will Sirius cope with suddenly being a father? AU, Starting a month after James and Lily's death.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Friday, 27 November 1981, Potter Manor**

Sleeping soundly on the couch, Sirius Black was dreaming of his school days. Carefree days of running around the grounds of Hogwarts, scheming up pranks, and learning new magic. As he ran after his best friends, he felt something jerk his arm back. Trying to keep up, he pulled his arm, but it wouldn't move. He felt another tug on his sleeve, but there was nobody behind him. A third tug and his mind registered that it wasn't part of his dream. Sirius jerked awake in the middle of a snore to see two grey eyes peering at him. He then noticed two more sets of grey eyes watching him closely. Glancing down at his side, Sirius quickly checked to make sure Harry was still safely sleeping on his chest. He then carefully sat up to see if anybody else was in the room with him and the three unknown toddlers. Not seeing anybody, he focused on the little girl and two boys before him.

"Hi, who are you? How did you get in here?" Sirius asked sleepily.

The little girl cocked her head to the side and chirped "I'm Hermione. Are you Uncle Sir-i-us?"

Sirius' eyes widened in shock at that question. "Uncle?" The boy on the right clapped his hands excitedly and told him "Yes, Mama said our Uncle Sir-i-us would be here." The boy on the left of Hermione just nodded his head in agreement. Sirius gently placed Harry on the end of the couch, making sure he was covered with the blanket. He then slid to the floor in front of the little ones and looked at them carefully. All three had curly, black hair with grey eyes. They looked about two years old, but seemed to speak at a higher level. He then noticed a letter pinned to the front of Hermione's jumper. Carefully detaching it, he saw his name on the front. It looked to be his sister's handwriting, but it couldn't be, she died three years ago. Keeping an eye on the toddlers, he opened the letter.

_Dear Sirius,_

_ I know this will come as a shock, but this really is Cassie. I need your help. I found out I was expecting in February, 1979. I didn't know what to do! I wasn't married, and Mom and Dad would have never supported me keeping the baby. I hid it as best I could, trying to figure out where to go. At my first appointment with the healers, I found out I was expecting triplets. Two boys and a little girl. After I got over the shock, the fear settled in. You know how rare and powerful triplets are in our world. I couldn't let You-know-who find out about them! I went to Uncle Alphard and he helped me escape to one of his smaller estates in France. The triplets were born on 19 September 1979. Uncle Al helped me spread the lie that I died on an assignment for Dumbledore and get the family tapestry to register a date of death. He also hid the triplets' birth on the tapestry. _

_ If you are reading this letter, something has happened to me. Either Uncle Al or my house elf, Twinkle, will have brought the triplets to you. I need you to help hide them, especially if You-know-who is still alive! Their names are Hermione Dorea Black, Alexas Regulus Black, and Leonato Orion Black. I won't tell you who their father is because he's a Death Eater, in the inner circle no less. He doesn't know about them, and that's best for now. If things change, and they will be safe, you will find a letter in my vault at Gringotts with the information and how to contact him. Please, Sirius, care for my little loves. Twinkle is bonded to the triplets and knows to answer to you if I'm gone. She can answer any questions about their health history. She has been sworn to secrecy about their father, so don't even try. I'm sorry I had to hide all this from you. I wish things could have been different. I've missed your laugh and your wonderful hugs. Please don't mourn for me. Just love my littles, teach them about our world, and share your wonderful heart with them. Let them know that I love them and would not have left them if I had a choice. _

_ Love, your sister,_

_ Cassiopeia Black_

Struggling to keep his tears at bay, Sirius looked up at Hermione. She was holding hands with her brothers, watching him read the letter. Sirius then looked to the boys and asked, "Who is Alexas and who's Leonato?" The boy on the right of Hermione piped up "I'm Alexas" and the boy on the left shyly said, "I'm Leo." Sirius studied the two, seeing if he could see any differences to know who was who. Alexas had a little scar on his upper lip, but other than that, they were identical. Looking back to Hermione, he asked "Can you tell me how you got here, Hermione?" Looking shy for the first time, she called out "Twinkle!" With a pop, a house elf appeared next to Sirius. "Yes, Missy Mione?" Carefully hiding his jump of surprise, Sirius looked at Twinkle and introduced himself. He then asked, "Do you answer to me as well as the triplets?" When she answered affirmatively, his heart broke. That meant that his sister really was dead now. Mourning would have to wait, though, he needed to get his niece and nephews settled into a room.

"Twinkle, do you have the triplets' things, or can you get their things moved into the house here?" Sirius asked. Twinkle sadly nodded her head. "Mistress Cassie made it so Twinkle can get their things from their rooms, even if the rest of the house is locked for any reason." Sirius nodded thoughtfully, then called out "Tismy" and watched his house elf pop into the room. "Tismy, please set up a room for my niece and nephews. Let's keep them in the same room for now, until they're older. Twinkle will bring their things from their old home and you both can get them set up in their new room. Use the Mistress' room next to my room. Allow room for a seating area and play area, include a couple bookshelves too." Tismy and Twinkle both nodded in agreement then popped out of the room. Sirius turned back to the triplets and studied their faces. He would need to keep a careful eye on them to see how they were dealing with losing their mother. He would also need to floo call Remus, see if he would be willing to move in and help out. Looks like his quiet afternoon was just canceled! Gently picking up Harry, he placed his head up under his chin, then held out his hand to Hermione and her brothers. He led them out of the parlour, up the stairs, and into the Master bedroom that he shared with Harry. Carefully laying Harry in his crib, he checked that he was still sleeping soundly, then covered him up. He then hunkered down in front of the triplets.

"Would you like to see the room you will be staying in from now on?" he asked. He watched as they carefully looked at each other, then looked at him and nodded in tandem. He smiled at them, then took Hermione's and Alexas' hand while Leo clutched Hermione's other hand. He led them through a door that connected the Master bedroom to the Mistress' room. It was a suite of rooms that included the Master's room, the Mistress' room, an ensuite bathroom and sitting room. It would allow him to keep them close but give them some space of their own at the same time. They could then be moved into their own rooms as they grew older. As they entered the triplets' new room, they could see that the house elves had been busy. They had already moved everything into the new room and were working on setting up separate areas for their clothes to be stored in the huge walk in closet. Hermione, Alexas, and Leo had already found all their toys and books and were playing quietly in the toy area. Sirius decided to take the opportunity and give Remus a floo call. He would need all the help he could get, what with four children under 3 years of age to take care of!

* * *

Remus Lupin was relaxing on his couch, reading a book, when his fireplace flashed green with a floo call. He looked up to see Sirius' face sitting in the fire, looking kind of shell shocked. He got up and approached the fireplace, calling out a hello. Sirius, looking slightly relieved, started talking. "Hey Moony, I need to talk to you. Can you come over right now? I moved into Potter Manor to be able to take care of Harry. Now I've got an interesting situation here."

Remus raised an eyebrow at Sirius and agreed to come through immediately. Sirius told him to use the Potter Manor Master Room floo address instead of the generic floo address. As he stepped through, he could see Harry asleep in his crib. Sirius was pacing in front of the fireplace, many different emotions flashing across his face as he walked. He handed Remus a letter and continued his pacing while Remus read. After reading, Remus had to read it again a couple times to fully take in what was happening. "Triplets?" he asked. Sirius just nodded his head. Remus looked around the room, and not seeing any strange toddlers looked back to Sirius. "Where are they?" he asked. Sirius then moved to the doorway that led to the adjoining rooms. Remus followed, curiosity and concern for his friend causing him to follow Sirius' lead of being quiet. As he stepped into the room, he immediately saw three heads with inky black hair bent over books by the bookshelves. He cautiously approached the toddlers as Sirius called out to them.

"Hey little loves, reading anything good?" They all looked up at once, nodding in agreement, then looked at Remus with curiosity. Sirius got down on the floor in front of them and introduced Remus. "This is my friend, Remus. You can call him Uncle Remus or Uncle Moony, whichever one you like best." Remus smiled at them and got down on the floor with them. The little girl, Hermione (if he remembered right) looked at him and smiled so brightly her eyes twinkled. She held out her hand and said "Hi! I'm Hermione. This is my brother Alexas and my other brother Leo. Are you going to live with us too?" Remus looked up at Sirius before responding. Sirius replied to Hermione "That's what Uncle Moony and I need to talk about right now, Hermione. We'll be over by the fireplace while you three keep reading, okay?" All three nodded in assent and went back to their books.

Remus followed Sirius over to the seating area and settled in a nice chair in front of the fireplace and turned towards his friend with an expectant look on his face.

"So, Moony, what would you think about moving in and helping me with four kids under 3 years of age?" asked Sirius. "I know you don't like charity and handouts, but I would consider me feeding, clothing, and sheltering you as payment for your help. I can't do this by myself, and I don't have many people I can trust. I plan to go to Gringott's and get that information about their father as soon as I can, but I have no guarantee's it'll be someone we can go to with this. I'll just have to take all of this step by step as it comes. I also don't have any guesses as to their father, they have such quintessential Black characteristic looks. Their first names might be a hint, though. I'm guessing it's somebody who likes to read muggle literature."

Remus' eyebrows shot up at that. He had recognized the names as coming from Shakespeare but was surprised that Sirius had. "Do you know where their names come from Sirius?" he asked. Sirius looked slightly embarrassed and admitted to Remus "I know they're from some muggle writer that was famous. I can't remember his name, or what he wrote, but I know the name Hermione sounds kind of familiar." Remus chuckled at that and explained to Sirius. "All three names come from a writer named William Shakespeare. He wrote many different plays and they've been published in book form for many years now. The name Hermione comes from his play called _Winter's Tale_. Alexas comes from a play called _Antony and Cleopatra_, and Leonato comes from _Much Ado About Nothing_. So yes, it sounds like their father is either a big reader, grew up muggle, or both."

Remus then sat quietly, mulling over the situation and whether or not he felt he should move into Potter Manor to help out. He knew Sirius really did need help. He was already in over his head with just taking care of Harry. Adding in three more, and one of them a girl, was going to drown him. Even with him there to help, they were going to need a woman's help for some things too.

After a little bit, Remus let out a huge sigh and looked over at Sirius. "Well, Padfoot, old buddy, I guess I don't have much choice, do I. You know I loved Cassie like she was my own sister, and I can't let her kids live here alone with you!" he teased. Sirius glowered at him for that comment. Continuing on, Remus brought up his one concern. "What will you do for a female role model, especially for Hermione as she grows into a teenager?" Now it was Sirius' turn to let out a huge sigh. He hadn't though that far ahead yet. He was still wrapping his head around the fact that his sister didn't die three years ago and had given birth to three children. Cute, adorable really, seemingly intelligent children, but children just the same. He was also concerned with the fact that their father was apparently a Death Eater. Yes, Voldemort was gone, but there were whispers that he wasn't gone for good. Plus, not many Death Eaters had redeeming qualities, even now that Voldemort was out of the picture.

"Right now, I think I need to get over to Gringotts and get the information about their father. Once we know more about him, we can talk about what to do about a female presence in their lives," decided Sirius. Remus nodded in agreement. He then offered to watch the children with Twinkle's help while Sirius went out to do that. Taking him up on his offer, Sirius got up to get ready to head out. Twinkle came over as he was about to leave and bowed before him. "Master Sirius sir, I has Mistress Cassie's vault key and a letter for the goblins to explain what is happenings to them. Mistress Cassie told Twinkle to gives yous these things if anything was to happen to her." She then handed a key and a sealed parchment to Sirius before going back to her young charges. Sirius thanked her, bid Remus goodbye, and left out through the front door to apparate to Diagon Alley and make his way to Gringotts from there.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Friday, 27 November 1981, Gringotts Wizarding Bank**

Sirius strode across the foyer of Gringotts Wizarding Bank with the confidence that his position as Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Black affords. It wasn't extremely busy owing to the lateness of the day. The goblins seated behind the counters didn't give him even a glance as he passed by them. Sirius carefully observed his surroundings as he approached a goblin he had worked with many times before named Griphook. Not wanting his information to echo in the long, marble hall, he requested a private audience with Griphook and the goblin in charge of Cassie's account. Griphook nodded, stood from his place at the counter, and hurried off to fetch Brodrak, the goblin in charge of most of the Black family accounts.

When Griphook returned and beckoned to him to follow, Sirius quickly followed the goblin into a back hall. As he entered the indicated meeting room, he was surprised to find not only Brodrak in the room, but also Ragnok, the banks current president and highest-ranking goblin. Sirius bowed to each goblin and turned his full attention to Ragnok. Ragnok acknowledged Sirius' bow with a stiff nod of his head and started the meeting. "I'm sure you are wondering why I am here today, Lord Black," he said. "It had crossed my mind," replied Sirius. "I understand you are here to access the vault belonging to Cassiopeia Black. I can only allow access if you can prove that she is no longer living." Sirius sat there, stumped for a couple of minutes. He had assumed that they would know, since the goblins always seemed to know when someone was dead even before the ministry. Then he remembered the letter that Twinkle had given him. He pulled the parchment from his cloak pocket and handed it over to Ragnok. After testing the parchment and inspecting the seal, Ragnok broke the seal and everyone waited with bated breath to hear what his decision would be. Ragnok grunted and turned to Brodrak. "Everything is in order. Give Lord Black full access to the vault and have him sign the papers for full guardianship of the Black heirs. Do not do anything about the paternal side currently, including informing the father of anything. Leave that until Lord Black has contacted the father and the father then contacts us." Ragnok then strode from the room, taking the letter from Cassie with him. Sirius really wished he could read what was in that letter to make Ragnok so sure everything was in order.

Brodrak sat down where Ragnok had been and pulled out a stack of parchment. Sirius sat across from him and together they went over the required paperwork. After signing the guardianship papers, his second set in a month, and signing his acceptance of responsibility for the estate of the triplets until they come of age, Sirius gave a sigh of relief. "I would like to go down to the main vault now, please," he requested of Griphook. Brodrak nodded his approval and Griphook picked up the key on the desk. "Please follow me, Lord Black," said Griphook and proceeded to exit the room and head back towards the front of the bank.

Instead of turning to the door leading to the front hall, he turned and entered the cave like area that housed the rickety cart that carried customers down to the vaults. Sirius climbed into the cart and prepared himself for a harrowing ride, deep into the huge cave that held hundreds of vaults. Knowing that no one could see him and Griphook would tell no one, Sirius threw his hands in the air and whooped with delight on the ride down. When the cart came to a stop, he saw that they were far down, at one of the older, larger vaults. He hopped out after Griphook and followed him to the door of the vault. Griphook inserted the key, then asked Sirius to place his hand on the door as well. Looking at Griphook suspiciously, Sirius placed his hand on the door, then winced as a needle pricked his finger and a drop of blood soaked into the door. When he looked at his finger, the small spot was already healed and disappearing. "When assuming ownership of a new vault, blood is required for the first use of the key to attune the key and door to the new owner," explained Griphook. "A warning would have been nice" muttered Sirius. Griphook just smirked at him and opened the door, motioning for Sirius to enter.

Sirius slowly moved forward into the vault, his eyes sweeping back and forth, looking for anything dark or dangerous. You could never be too cautious when dealing with a Black family vault! Seeing nothing concerning, he turned to his right and saw a table with two rolled parchments on it. One was addressed to him, and the other was addressed "To my children's father" but contained no specific name. Sirius placed them in his cloak pocket then continued perusing the rest of the vault's contents. One wall contained a series of shelves, like bookshelves, but they contained a mix of rare and old books, mostly gaudy jewelry, and other precious knick knack type items. One shelf was kind of curious. It contained a locket, a ring, a diadem, and a golden cup. The shelf itself was protected with so many strong wards it almost looked like a sheet of glass in front of it. They looked slightly familiar, but Sirius was in too much of a hurry to stop and ponder them. Sirius had just found some wonderful musical instruments when he saw them. The Triplet Rings. There had been one set of triplets in the family before, and they had commissioned a set of rings to help them channel some of their powers. Sirius couldn't help the smile that spread across face. He was looking forward to the day when he could present those rings to his niece and nephews. There was a small book next to them that he went ahead and grabbed. He was hoping it would include information on when to give them the rings. For now, he would leave them in the safety of the vault. Sirius left the vault, traveled back up with Griphook, then left the bank to head home.

* * *

**Later that same night, Potter Manor**

Sirius and Remus worked together that night to get all four toddlers fed, bathed, and in bed. Harry was in his crib in Sirius' room, and the triplets were put in the king-sized bed in the adjoining room. They felt it was best to let them sleep in the same bed for now. A lot had happened to them just in that day, they hoped it would lend them some comfort and a feeling of safety to have their siblings close in the night. After pouring a glass of Fire Whiskey for them both, Sirius collapsed onto the couch in the Parlour and stared at the glass in his hand. Remus sat in the chair and waited silently for Sirius to share what was on his mind. He didn't have to wait too long.

Pulling the two parchments from his pocket, Sirius placed them on the low coffee table and looked over at Remus. "Well, should we open the one addressed to me? Or should we just let it be?" he asked. Remus swirled the liquid in his glass while thinking it over. "Honestly, if I were their father, I would want to know I had children. I would want to meet those sweet children. I would also want to know what had happened to Cassie. It sounds like she up and disappeared on him. If so, he might be wanting to know if she is alive or dead and what happened after she left," replied Remus. Sirius nodded his head and leaned forward to pick up the rolled parchment. He cracked the seal and began reading the letter. The more he read, the paler his face became. By the time he was done, he had finished his Fire Whiskey and was on his way to get more. As he passed by Remus, he handed over the letter. Remus quickly read the letter and gasped in shock.

"So, now what do we do?" he asked Sirius. Sirius sat there, brooding over the information, trying to decide. He looked up at Remus and answered "I think it's only fair to tell him. We know he's on the side of the Light. Voldemort is gone, so there isn't any threat from him anymore. It might even do him some good to have a bit of family. We will have to work on how we treat him, though. I'm hoping we can call a truce, for Cassie and the kids' sake." Remus just nodded his agreement, prompting Sirius to get up and get some parchment, quill, and ink. After writing a short missive, he rolled it up and proceeded to the small owlery to send it out. He hoped they were making the right decision, for all involved.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - Not sure how much this is needed, but just to make sure - I don't own any of the original characters or stories. JK Rowling has that distinction, I've just come up with the plot for this story.

**Chapter Three**

**Saturday, 28 November 1981, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Beep, beep, beep, beep…reaching over while groaning deeply, Severus Snape quieted his morning alarm coming from his wand. He stretched and rolled over to sit up and place his feet on the floor. Just as he was about to stand, he heard pecking at his window. Glancing over he saw an unfamiliar owl at his window, patiently waiting to be let in. Severus waved his wand, opening the window, and the owl flew over and landed on his knee. Carefully removing the rolled parchment from its leg, he offered it an owl treat. The owl quickly grabbed it, then flew back to and out the window. Severus absentmindedly waved the window closed as he tried to decipher whose handwriting his name was written in. The seal looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Shrugging, he broke the seal and read the short missive.

_S. Snape,_

_ Please come to Potter Manor at 10 a.m. We have some vital news about my sister, Cassie. No need to respond unless you are unable to come._

_ Sirius Black and Remus Lupin_

"Why in the world would those two want _me_ to come over? Vital news about Cassie? Cassie died three years ago, how could they have news about her now? I should just ignore them and go on with my day. On the other hand, I may miss something important about my Cassie if I blow them off. I need to know what happened to her…and what happened to my baby. I know she thought I didn't know, but there were too many signs for it to not be true. Did they actually survive somehow? I have to know…." Severus ranted and paced back and forth for quite awhile before coming to a decision. He would go, but at the first insult or name calling he would leave and not look back.

* * *

**Potter Manor**

Stepping out from the fireplace at 10 am, Severus looked around suspiciously and slightly curiously. Not seeing anything alarming, he greeted the two men waiting for him. "Gentlemen, to what do I owe the pleasure of your summons today?" drawled Severus. Sirius stepped forward with his hand outstretched, showing his willingness to set the past behind, at least for the moment. Severus looked at his hand, looked at Sirius, then cautiously reached out and shook his proffered hand. Remus and Severus then also shook hands. "If you'll follow us, Severus, we can get down to business," said Sirius. Severus nodded slightly, then followed Sirius out the door and down a hallway to a small parlour, with Remus bringing up the rear.

After they were all settled onto the couch or a chair, Sirius offered tea and pastries. Raising an eyebrow, Severus asked "Is this going to take long enough that we need tea?" "It's pretty shocking news, you might want something to settle your nerves. We can even put a shot of Ogden's finest in your tea if you need," answered Sirius. At Severus' nod of acceptance, Sirius called for Tismy. "Yes, Master Sirius?" asked Tismy. "Please bring tea, Fire Whiskey, and some light pastries please, Tismy," ordered Sirius. Tismy bowed, then popped out to go get the requested items. After serving the doctored tea, Sirius sat back and looked at Severus.

"Yesterday afternoon, I received a letter from my sister Cassie. In it, she explained that she didn't die three years ago. She also instructed me to get ahold of you and give you a letter from her. I have that letter right here. I also have my letter from yesterday for you to read if you so desire," explained Sirius. Severus' eyes were wide by that point, and he eagerly reached for the letter addressed to him. As Sirius handed it over, he gave it a small look of shock. Instead of saying _To My Children's Father_, it now had Severus' name written on it. Sirius looked at Remus to see if he had noticed the change as well. Remus' eyes were just as wide at the change as Sirius' had been. Cassie must have charmed it someway to know when the letter to Sirius had been opened and read so it could change to a personal address.

Not seeing the changed expressions on the other men's faces, Severus broke the seal on the parchment and unrolled it to read his letter from his Cassie.

_ Dearest Severus,_

_If you are reading this letter, then something has happened to me. I wanted to write you and explain why I disappeared three years ago. Up to this time, it just wasn't safe for me to contact you. When I left you that day, I was going to a Healer's appointment. I wanted to surprise you that night with my news. I knew I was expecting and wanted to get confirmation before our date that night. I'm guessing you might have already suspected that I was pregnant and was just waiting for me to tell you. After the appointment that day, I had no choice but to go right to my Uncle Alphard. The Healer confirmed I was pregnant, but then told me I was expecting triplets, two boys and a girl. I'm so sorry I couldn't come to tell you myself, but with you being in You-Know-Who's inner circle I couldn't chance that He would find out. I couldn't let him get near our children! I already knew I couldn't go to my parents, they would have disowned me, and maybe tried to cause a miscarriage. That was before learning about the triplets! Uncle Al took me to his house in France, then faked my death to cover my disappearance. He then altered the Black Family Tapestry to show my death and to hide the birth of the triplets. _

_The triplets were born on 19 September 1979. I gave each them a Shakespearean name in honor of your love of reading and an ancestral name from my family. Hermione Dorea, Alexas Regulus, and Leonato Orion Black are my little loves that entered my world that day. I gave them the Black name because I wasn't sure about the safety of having the name Snape. Once it is safe to do so, please allow them to bear your name. They have your hair and my eyes and such a mix of temperament! Hermione is the most outgoing, but she does need her time to decompress. Alexas is also outgoing but follows Hermione's leadership when navigating new situations. Leo is the quiet one of the three, but don't underestimate him! He doesn't miss much with those very observant eyes and ears of his!_

_I'm hoping that you and my brother can put your past behind you enough to work together and love my little loves like they will need. They will be okay the first few days, but the longer I'm out of their day to day existence the more they will react and withdraw. Please, Severus, don't close yourself off from them. Let them hug you and love you like you were able to let me do. I'll warn you now, you won't be able to resist their charm for too long! Also, please know that I loved you with my whole heart. It broke me to have to leave you, but with how powerful they will be, I couldn't chance letting You-Know-Who get his hands on them. I hope someday you can find it in your heart to forgive me and maybe look back on our time together with fondness. I will never stop loving you, even after death._

_With all my love,_

_ Cassie_

By the time Severus got to the end of his letter, he was silently crying, not even trying to hide it. He looked up and locked eyes with Sirius. They both nodded in agreement, they would do their best for their beloved Cassie. Getting up and moving across the room, Severus pulled out a handkerchief and quietly dried his tears. Staring into the fire, he contemplated how much this was going to change his whole world. He had hoped for three years that Cassie hadn't died, and that maybe someday he would even get to meet his child. Now he was going to meet three children that needed him to be a father.

"So, Black…" started Severus. "Call me Sirius, please. If we're going to do this together, we should be on a more informal level of acquaintance than before," Sirius interrupted. "Ok, Sirius, we need to discuss how we are going to approach this. Unfortunately, I have no way to have three toddlers live with me full time at the castle," Severus continued. "I do want to be involved as much as I can, though. I have a feeling the staff will want to meet them. I also will help support them financially, as needed. They will need excellent tutors to prepare them for Hogwarts. I can set up a room for them in my quarters for them to visit on weekends during school days, if that works for you, as well. I do agree with Cassie, though, that for now it's better that they do not use my last name. We should also keep the fact that I'm their father as secret as possible for now. I may have lost Cassie, but I do not want to risk their safety," Severus paced as he talked. Sirius and Remus nodded along in agreement with everything he brought up. "Was there anything interesting in Cassie's vault when you went there?" Severus inquired.

"Yes, their triplet rings, as well as some fine antique instruments," replied Sirius.

"Are you thinking you want to get them playing an instrument? And what do you mean by their triplet rings?" asked Severus. Remus, also puzzled, waited for Sirius to explain these mysterious rings.

"Oh, Well, the Black family has had a set of triplets in the family once before. They were extremely powerful, just like all sets of triplets. They found that if they wore a ring with specific enchantments on it, their ring would improve their ability to control magic, even to the point of not needing a wand. They experimented with different metals and enchantments before finding the best combination. When they died, their rings were put in a Black Vault for safekeeping. Cassie must have searched the Black vaults and found them once she was informed that she was having triplets. We'll have to discuss when a good time would be to give them the rings." Sirius explained.

While musing over that information, Remus suddenly thought of something important. "Severus, do you have any ancestry potions stocked in your lab?" he asked.

Severus looked startled at Remus and asked "Why? We know who their parents are. Unless you think Cassie was lying about me being their father."

"Oh, no, there's no question they are your children. I'm not thinking about the Family Tree ancestry potion. I'm thinking about the Family and Traits ancestry potion. I'm suspicious they may have some innate abilities that we don't know about. That ancestry potion lists those abilities. We'll need to know so we can help guide them if they show up younger than normal in them." Remus reassured Severus.

"Oh, well, yes, I keep that specific one in stock more than the Family Tree potion. My 6th years brew the Family and Traits one in class, so I'm able to keep the ones that finish it to high standards. What do you think we'll find for innate abilities? Anything specific?" mused Severus.

"Well, if I remember correctly, Sirius, didn't the triplets in your family have a built in Animagus ability?" Remus looked over at Sirius and saw his eyes as large as they could go. "Good grief, they did! If I remember right, they had a right hard time of keeping them in human form as kids. They also had more than one form…it was almost unlimited as to what animals they could use." exclaimed Sirius.

Severus sat there, pinching the bridge of his nose, as if he was getting a headache. "What other abilities did your ancestors have?" he asked.

"Let's just get that potion and see what they have. Then we can go from there as to how to manage them and help them learn how to use them responsibly," said Sirius as he jumped up and started towards the door. He looked back to see the other two men still seated. "Well, don't you want to meet your children, Severus?" asked Sirius. Severus slowly got to his feet. Now that he was to actually meet them, he wasn't sure how to take all of this. Following Sirius and Remus through the house, he felt his trepidation increasing with every step. He quietly followed them through a door and found himself in a lovely room, set up with different areas for playing and reading. Three heads turned towards the three adults as they entered. The smiles on their faces were wonderfully bright but increased exponentially when they saw Severus.

"Papa!" Next thing he knew, there were three sets of arms around his legs, causing Severus to almost lose his balance. "Papa?" asked Severus. How could they know to call him Papa?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N - Not sure how much this is needed, but just to make sure - I don't own any of the original characters or stories. JK Rowling has that distinction, I've just come up with the plot for this story.

**Chapter Four**

**Saturday, 28 November 1981, Potter Manor**

_From Last time - _

_Three heads turned towards the three adults as they entered. The smiles on their faces were wonderfully bright but increased exponentially when they saw Severus._

"_Papa!" Next thing he knew, there were three sets of arms around his legs, causing Severus to almost lose his balance. "Papa?" asked Severus. How could they know to call him Papa?_

It wasn't often that Severus Snape could be shocked and actually show his emotions. This was one of those times. How did these two-year-old children know who he was? He had never met them before. He hadn't even known they existed before today. A tug on his pant leg brought him back to reality and he looked down to see three sets of gray eyes looking adoringly up at him. As he watched, Hermione tugged on his pant leg again. Severus, guessing at what she wanted, slid down the door to the floor to sit in front of them. Instantly three sets of arms were thrown about him in a huge hug, and he felt three kisses land on his cheeks. He brought his hands up to feel the black, curly hair on their heads while he let his gaze wander over each of their faces. He could see the boys were identical, with one of them having a small scar on his upper lip. They all had their mother's gray eyes, heart shaped lips, beautiful button nose (thankfully), and curly hair. They had his black hair, high cheek bones and pointy chin. It really was a nice mix of the two of them. Severus started to tear up just a little at how much they reminded him of his Cassie. Hermione reached out and touched a tear as it coursed down his cheek.

"You sad, Papa?" asked Hermione. Severus wiped his arm across his eyes and smiled at her. "No, dear, just so happy to finally meet you and your brothers. Can each of you tell me your names?" replied Severus.

Hermione puffed her chest out and said with great pride "I'm Hermione, and this is…", but Severus interrupted her. "Please let your brothers say their names, too, okay Hermione?" Hermione nodded in silent agreement, her eyes going wide in surprise.

Alexas held out his hand and said "I'm Alexas. I like chocolate." Severus smiled, shook his hand, and told him "I like chocolate too, Alexas." He also noted that Alexas was the one with the little scar on his lip. He'd have to see if he could get it to reduce more with his scar salve.

Severus then looked to the last sibling who was standing to the left of Hermione. With a shy look, Leo hugged his teddy bear tightly and said quietly into its head "I'm Leo." Severus, seeing that a gentle hand was needed, asked him "Who's that you're holding, Leo?" Bashfully, Leo held out his bear and said "This is Moony! Mama no find wolf, so bear closest she could get!" Severus looked over their heads to see an astonished look on the faces of the two men behind them. That must have been the first they heard about that.

Looking between the three children again, Severus asked them "How do you know who I am?"

Hermione's eyes lit up and she ran over to their dresser. She pointed up to the pictures on top and Severus could see a picture of himself up there with Cassie. Hermione pointed to that one and said, "Papa and Mama", then pointed next to it "Uncle Sir-i-us, Uncle Moony, Uncle Jamie," then pointed to one last picture and said, "Uncle Reg-u-lus."

All three men looked at each other, then back to the pictures with looks of understanding dawning on their faces. Cassie must have taught them who was who using the pictures. Sirius knelt down and asked Hermione "Hermione, why were you confused who I was yesterday?" She ran over, threw herself into his arms, and said "You looked funny, sleeping." He laughed and hugged her back.

Hermione ran back to Severus, grabbed his tie, and started to pull him towards the bookcases. "Look at the books, Papa! We read the pictures, can you read the words?"

Severus chuckled while trying to follow on his hands and knees to keep from being strangled by his tie. He could see Alexas and Leo following on either side, curious to see what would happen. Remus and Sirius exchanged looks of astonishment. They had never seen Severus Snape so open, emotionally or even physically, allowing himself to be touched like this. This might just work out, if he was able to keep himself open to the kids like that.

After choosing a few books, Severus and the triplets settled down on the floor, with Severus leaning against the wall in between the bookcases. Hermione was in his lap, with Alexas and Leo taking up their normal spots on her right and left side, respectively. The adults were noticing that the three seemed to always arrange themselves in that order. It was a curious quirk that they wondered how it came about. Did they do it subconsciously, or by conscious choice? A short time later all three were sleeping soundly in his lap. Each of the men gently lifted one into their arms to place them on their bed for their morning nap. Making their way quietly to the seating area, they placed silencing charms around the bed so they wouldn't wake the kids. Sirius ducked into his room to check on Harry in his crib and found him also napping. Setting some alert charms, he went back to join Remus and Severus.

Sirius and Remus watched Severus as he sat on the couch looking slightly shell-shocked. It was a lot of new information to take in all in one morning. They figured that was how they each looked when they first found out as well. Eventually, Severus cleared his throat, then started sharing his thoughts. "When I first read that I had triplets, it didn't seem real. It felt like someone was going to jump out and yell 'Gotchya' at any moment. That all changed when I felt their arms go around my legs as we came in here. Then to hear them call me Papa was just surreal. To think that Cassie prepared them to know who I was, we are, in case they were ever able to meet us…" his throat became a little tight and Severus had to pause to gather himself again.

After a moment, he continued, "I want to be as involved as I can be. They are already showing high intelligence and advanced skills just with how well they talk. They work as one unit, yet each has their own personality that shines through. Hermione might need some help to not completely take over the boys. Leo will need encouragement to not be too shy. Cautious and observant are fine, just not so shy to be unsociable. Let me floo back to my quarters to grab those ancestry potions. I think we'll need as much knowledge as possible about them so we can guide them correctly. Is there anything else I should grab while there?

Remus spoke up right away, "See if you can find a good magical creature and non-magical creatures book? If they have the same Animagus abilities as their ancestors', they will have one main animal but will be able to transform to any animal they want. We'll need reference points for us to know what we're seeing and dealing with."

Severus nodded in agreement. He then got up and headed over to the fireplace. Grabbing some floo powder, he threw it in the fireplace, stepped in and called out "Hogwarts, Snape Quarters." He was spun out of sight in a flare-up of green fire. Sirius settled down to start reading through the small book that he'd found stored by the Triplet's Rings.

* * *

An hour later, the floo flared up again and Severus stepped elegantly out from the flames. He carried a couple books and three potion vials. Sirius and Remus got up, and motioning for Severus to follow, they proceeded to the main study. It was a very decidedly masculine room, with many dark woods and a rich wood floor. A beautiful handcrafted wood desk sat in the middle of the room, and the walls were lined with bookshelves and portraits of Potter Ancestors. Motioning for Remus and Severus to have a seat in front of the desk, Sirius went around behind the desk and pulled out three sheets of parchment. It then dawned on Sirius that they had forgotten one thing, they needed a drop of blood from each of the triplets. How were they going to do that without waking them, and without them going through too much discomfort? Severus saw the look on Sirius' face and smirked.

"Don't worry, I've come up with a new variant of this potion. This version only requires a hair from their head to work. I've been working on it because some of my students are squeamish about using blood in class."

Sirius gave a sigh of relief, placed the parchment on the desk, and called out "Twinkle!"

"Yes, Master Sirius?"

"Twinkle, I would like you to meet Severus Snape. He is the triplets…" started Sirius, to be interrupted by Twinkle.

"Oh, it's the young Masters' and Mistress' father! Pleasure to meet you Master Severus, sir!" Twinkle's eyes shone with excitement and even adoration. Severus nodded his head at her in acknowledgement.

Sirius, seeing that was all he was going to do, turned back to Twinkle and asked, "Can you please carefully gather one hair from each of the triplets and place it in the correctly labeled vial for me? They should still be napping." Twinkle looked suspiciously at him and Sirius chuckled. "We just need to run a quick test on the hair. This won't hurt them, and it shouldn't even wake them up," he reassured her. Twinkle then nodded in acquiescence, took the vials, and popped out of the room.

A few minutes later, Twinkle reappeared with the vials containing a hair each. Sirius thanked her, took the vials, then handed them to Severus. Severus opened the vial with Hermione's hair, carefully removed it with tweezers, and placed it into one of the potions. He recorked the potion, shook it for exactly one minute, then uncorked it and poured it over one of the pieces of parchment. He repeated the process with the boys' hairs. Once done, they went to look at Hermione's results while the boys' finished working.

* * *

**Name: **Hermione Dorea Black (Snape)

**Birthdate:** 19 September 1979

**Father: **Severus Tobias Snape

**Mother:** Cassiopeia Iola Black

**Sibling(s): **Alexas Regulus Black (Snape), Leonato Orion Black (Snape)

**Magical Abilities Inheritance: **

Animagus – Main Form: Phoenix

Animagus – Unlimited Land Animals

Animagus – Limited Ocean Mammals

Languages – Unlimited Human and Being: Oral, Verbal, Written Comprehension

Languages – Parseltongue, Fluent

Wandless, Non-Verbal Casting Mastery

Fire Elemental Mastery

* * *

**Name: **Alexas Regulus Black (Snape)

**Birthdate:** 19 September 1979

**Father: **Severus Tobias Snape

**Mother:** Cassiopeia Iola Black

**Sibling(s): **Hermione Dorea Black (Snape), Leonato Orion Black (Snape)

**Magical Abilities Inheritance: **

Animagus – Main Form: Thunderbird

Animagus – Unlimited Land Animals

Animagus – Limited Ocean Mammals

Languages – Unlimited Human and Being: Oral, Verbal, Written Comprehension

Languages – Parseltongue, Fluent

Wandless, Non-Verbal Casting Mastery

Wind and Water Elemental Mastery

* * *

**Name: **Leonato Orion Black (Snape)

**Birthdate:** 19 September 1979

**Father: **Severus Tobias Snape

**Mother:** Cassiopeia Iola Black

**Sibling(s): **Hermione Dorea Black (Snape), Alexas Regulus Black (Snape)

**Magical Abilities Inheritance: **

Animagus – Main Form: Augury

Animagus – Unlimited Land Animals

Animagus – Limited Ocean Mammals

Languages – Unlimited Human and Being: Oral, Verbal, Written Comprehension

Languages – Parseltongue, Fluent

Wandless, Non-Verbal Casting Mastery

Earth Elemental Mastery

* * *

The three men sat back down in shock and awe. All three children would have a mystical Animagus form, a matching elemental magic mastery, and could speak Parseltongue! Severus was the first to find his voice again.

"Well, gentlemen, looks like you were right about them being Animagi. I think the most shocking part is the Parseltongue, though. We will have to teach them to be careful who they use that around. It can either get them labeled as Dark or bring them to the attention of the wrong type of people. We should investigate getting good resources about Parselmagic, though. If they grow up learning it, it may help them hide it better, as counterintuitive as that sounds. My concern is how to help them learn to use and control their Elemental magic. Any suggestions?"

Sirius started shaking his head. "I've not met anybody that openly admitted they had or could do Elemental magic. How about you Remus?" he said.

Remus had a thoughtful look on his face. "I might know somebody who can help. She'd also make a good female role model in their lives. It might be best if you contact her, Padfoot." Sirius look at him quizzically and Remus replied "Your cousin, Andromeda. I don't think she herself can do Elemental magic, but she has done extensive research into it, from what I know."

Severus started nodding his head. "I agree that she would be a good person to contact. I also concur she would be a good female influence in their lives. I know Minerva will also be a good influence, but she's extremely busy with her Hogwarts' responsibilities."

Tismy popped into the room at that point. "Lunch will be ready soon, Master Sirius." Sirius nodded and thanked her for the reminder. He then got to his feet, saying "Well, looks like we need to go get the kids up for lunch. Will you be joining us Severus?"

Severus nodded his head, following him out the door, and said "I'd like to spend the rest of the day with them, if that is agreeable with you." Sirius just nodded his assent and kept going towards the bedrooms.

The rest of the day passed in relative peace and quiet as the new 'family' got to know each other. The children were allowed to explore their bedroom and a few other areas of the house. The adults worked on how to interact with the children and each other without any hateful comments. It was tense at times, but it gave them each hope that they could work on this together, for the children's sake.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N - Not sure how much this is needed, but just to make sure - I don't own any of the original characters or stories. JK Rowling has that distinction, I've just come up with the plot for this story.

**Chapter Five**

**Sunday, 29 November 1981, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

After having spent the previous day getting to know his children, Severus realized he needed to talk to the Headmaster. He set out through the corridors of the castle heading towards the Headmaster's office, his robes billowing behind him as he went. Reaching the gargoyle that guarded the headmaster's office, he growled out the password "maple candy" and proceeded up the stairs. Knocking on the door, he waited for Dumbledore to call out "Enter" then swept into the office.

"What can I do for you my boy?" asked Dumbledore.

"Do you remember Sirius Black's older sister, Cassiopeia?" Severus asked.

Dumbledore nodded, held up a dish of candy, and asked "lemon drop?" When Severus shook his head no, Dumbledore replaced the dish on his desk, leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in front of him. "If I remember correctly you and she were pretty serious for a little while. Then she seemed to disappear right?"

Severus lightly ground his teeth together, then replied "She more than disappeared, we were told she died on an assignment for the order."

"Oh, that's right, now I remember. Was her body ever found?" asked Dumbledore.

"No, it wasn't, as you well know," growled Severus. "At least, you should know, since you were the leader of the order!"

Ignoring the veiled accusation, Dumbledore stared at Severus, waiting for Severus to get to the point.

"It seems, that the news of her death was incorrect. She fled to France to live in a Villa belonging to her Uncle Alphard." Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up his forehead and Severus enjoyed being able to shock him.

Recovering his composure, Dumbledore asked "What kind of new information do you have, Severus? Where would you have gotten this information?"

Severus held out Sirius's letter that had been pinned to Hermione for Dumbledore to read. He had asked to borrow it as he didn't feel comfortable allowing Dumbledore to read his own letter. Dumbledore took the letter, read it, and let out an audible gasp.

"Triplets? I'm assuming you've met with Black, have you met the triplets yet?" said Dumbledore.

Severus sat heavily in one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. He nodded his head and explained "I went over to Potter Manor yesterday. After sitting down with Black and Lupin to discuss some things, we went up to their bedroom to meet them. They knew who I was and greeted me the second I walked through the door! There's no question they're mine and Cassie's. Now we're just trying to figure out how I can spend as much time with them as possible. I know I can't have them in the castle on weekdays, but I was hoping you'd allow them to visit on weekends. I would like to introduce them to the staff as soon as possible. We also did an inheritance test and I'm going to need to discuss the results with a couple Professors. We'll need Minerva's help to guide them with Animagus transformations and control. Filius and yourself might be able to help them control their wandless magic. I also need to find resources about Parselmagic, if you know of anything regarding that. That's not all, but it's certainly enough to be getting on with for now."

Dumbledore sat in his chair, trying to organize the mountain of information he'd just been given. After a few minutes of silence, Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "That is a lot to take in at once. Of course, they'd be welcome to stay on weekends. It will be good for them to see where you work and live. Let's set up a Staff meeting for next Saturday so they can be introduced to everybody else. During this coming week we can get accommodations added to your quarters and get things set up for them to come stay for next weekend. How are they dealing so far with losing their Mother?" he mused.

"So far, they're okay. In Cassie's letter to me, she warned to watch carefully in the coming days for them to start to realize she's gone permanently. Hopefully Remus and Sirius will be able to help them during the day. I'm planning on going over every night after my classes are finished this week. I feel I need to have meals with them and be there for bedtimes before I bring them here for the weekend. They need to get used to me so it's not strange or scary when they're in another new bedroom and new home. For now, we'll just need to add one bedroom and bathroom to my quarters. We're keeping them in the same bed, as well, so they have each other close while adjusting to the new situation. I do appreciate you being willing to let them stay with me and meet the staff. Your support will greatly help me support them as best as I can." Severus replied.

Albus nodded his agreement. "I think that will be just fine. I will explain some of the situation in Wednesday night's staff meeting. Go ahead and skip that one this week. The castle will add what you need to your quarters. If you'd like to bring them here a couple times this week to acclimate them to your quarters before they stay the night, that would be fine too. We will do whatever we can to help them in this hard time of life. I will meet with Minerva right away to fill her in on the whole situation. May I keep this letter to show her?"

"I will need it back tomorrow to return it to Bla…Sirius. I'm going to head out now, back to Potter Manor. Have a good rest of your day, Albus," replied Severus. Albus nodded his head in return and turned back to the paperwork he'd working on before Severus came in.

* * *

The rest of the week went by quickly for Severus. He spent as much time as he could with the triplets, while balancing his teaching requirements and what could be postponed for a little while. The triplets were settling in more each day, but as they relaxed, they started to withdraw a little more. The three men allowed this but kept a close eye on them.

Finally, Friday arrived, and Severus was nervous about how that night would go. As any student knows, the clock seems to slow down more and more when you desire the day to go by as quickly as possible. It seemed every time Severus looked at the time it had only been five minutes since he last looked. Thankfully his afternoon was completely free, so he was able to finish any and all grading so his weekend would be free for him to spend with the triplets. That thought floored him every time, his triplets, his children…would he ever get used to that idea?

At four o'clock Severus finished grading his last test. He did a double check that the new room for the triplets was finished and ready. Satisfied it was ready, he headed to his fireplace and flooed out to Potter Manor.

* * *

**Potter Manor**

"Uncle Padfoot!" was the sound that greeted Severus as he stepped out of the floo. He recognized Hermione's voice as it reverberated through the whole house. Wondering how she had accomplished that feat, he followed the sounds to the children's room. He leaned against the doorjamb as he watched the scene unfold.

Sirius walked into the triplets' room carrying Harry. He saw Severus leaning in the doorway leading to the hallway, but the rest of the occupants immediately grabbed his attention. There were toys strewn all over the room, and Leo was sitting by the bookshelves with a picture book in his lap. Alexas and Hermione were over by the toy bins, each holding onto a stuffed unicorn, pulling for all they were worth.

"Let go Alex, I wanna take her with me!" screeched Hermione. Alex responded by yanking his end and yelling "NO, she's mine and is staying home where she's safe!"

Sirius looked over at Severus with a look and gesture to the two telling him to take care of it. Severus raised one black eyebrow in answer, then held up his hand in a fist. Sirius smirked, held up his fist over his other palm, and they both counted to three. Severus groaned when Sirius won with paper over rock and pushed off from the door jamb and headed to where the siblings were fighting. Kneeling down, he gently placed his hand on the unicorn, effectively stopping the tug of war, and asked what was going on.

Hermione huffed and explained "Alex thinks that he owns my unicorn, Rainbow, and won't let me take her with me." Alex burst into tears at that explanation and threw himself into Severus' arms. Falling backwards to a sitting position, Severus wrapped his arms around Alex and waited for him to settle down some before trying to talk to him. As the cries turned into small sniffles, he gently started questioning Alex.

"Alex, what's going on? I don't think this is really about Hermione's unicorn, is it? Can you tell me what's going through your little head?" Severus rocked Alex while asking. Alex gave a big, long sniff while snuggling deeper into his Papa's arms. Finally finding his voice he admitted "I'm scared Papa." Severus tightened his hold slightly and asked Alex "Scared of what, Alex?"

"I don't know" cried Alex. Severus continued rocking him while thinking. Then it hit him.

"Alex, are you scared that somebody will leave again if we go to where I live?" asked Severus. Alex instantly started crying harder. Next thing Severus knew, he had two more little bodies in his lap, and all three were crying. Sirius quickly placed Harry next to the toy bins and came to sit next to the little family on the floor. He gently pried Hermione off of Severus and held her close while Severus worked to get Leo into his lap with Alex. Both men were extremely grateful that the three felt comfortable enough to allow them to cuddle them close. Severus then did something that shocked Sirius to the core.

In an unexpectedly wonderful singing voice, Severus started singing "Baby mine, don't you cry, Baby mine, dry your eyes, Rest your head close to my heart, Never to part, Baby of mine…" He reached out to Hermione and wiped a tear off her cheek, then continued. "Little one, when you play, Don't you mind what they say, Let those eyes sparkle and shine, Never a tear, Baby of mine…" He looked down at Leo and Alex, who were still sniffling but were enthralled by their Papa's voice. He continued "From your head to your toes (Baby mine), You're so sweet, goodness knows (Baby mine), You are so precious to me, Cute as can be, Baby of mine." Severus wiped the tears off Leo and Alex's cheeks, then finished with "Baby mine, Baby mine." 1

Seeing that they had all calmed down enough to hear him, Severus started talking. "Thank you for sharing with me Alex. I know all of this is scary for all three of you. You've never lived anywhere other than with your Mama, but that's all changed really fast. Instead, you live here with Uncle Padfoot and Uncle Moony in a big, scary, new house. Now I'm asking you to come with me somewhere else that you've never been before. If it would be better, we could just visit tomorrow instead of you going tonight and sleeping there. Maybe one of your Uncles could come with us tonight until you're comfortable enough to sleep in your room in my quarters. Would that help instead?"

The three siblings looked at each other, seeming to converse without saying a single word. After a little bit, they each gave a single nod of their head. Hermione looked up at her Papa and said "We'd like to go, but maybe could Uncle Padfoot come too, for a little while?"

Severus and Sirius both nodded agreement, kissed each of the siblings on the cheek, then gently got them up and moving. After gathering up the rest of the things they wanted to bring, they headed to the nearest fireplace to floo to Severus's quarters at Hogwarts. Severus went through first with Leo and Alex, and Sirius came second with Hermione, leaving Harry home with Remus looking after him. Severus's only thought was to hope the rest of the weekend went better than it had started out.

* * *

1 "Baby Mine" - Songwriters: Frank Churchill / Ned Washington, Baby Mine (Dumbo) lyrics © Bourne Co.


End file.
